The spinal column is formed from a number of bony vertebrae, which in their normal state are separated from each other by intervertebral discs. These discs are comprised of the annulus fibrosus, and the nucleus pulposus, both of which are soft tissue. The intervertebral disc acts in the spine as a crucial stabilizer, and as a mechanism for force distribution between adjacent vertebral bodies. Without the disc, collapse of the intervertebral space occurs, contributing to abnormal joint mechanics and premature development of arthritic changes.
The normal intervertebral disc has an outer ligamentous ring called the annulus surrounding the nucleus pulposus. The annulus binds the adjacent vertebrae together and is constituted of collagen fibers that are attached to the vertebrae and cross each other so that half of the individual fibers will tighten as the vertebrae are rotated in either direction, thus resisting twisting or torsional motion. The nucleus pulposus is constituted of loose tissue, having about 85% water content, which moves about during bending from front to back and from side to side.
The aging process contributes to gradual changes in the intervertebral discs. The annulus loses much of its flexibility and resilience, becoming more dense and solid in composition. The aging annulus may also be marked by the appearance or propagation of cracks or fissures in the annular wall. Similarly, the nucleus desiccates, increasing viscosity and thus losing its fluidity. In combination, these features of the aged intervertebral discs result in less dynamic stress distribution because of the more viscous nucleus pulposus, and less ability to withstand localized stresses by the annulus fibrosus due to its desiccation, loss of flexibility and the presence of fissures. Fissures can also occur due to disease or other pathological conditions. Occasionally fissures may form rents through the annular wall. In these instances, the nucleus pulposus is urged outwardly from the subannular space through a rent, often into the spinal column. Extruded nucleus pulposus can, and often does, mechanically press on the spinal cord or spinal nerve rootlet. This painful condition is clinically referred to as a ruptured or herniated disc.
In the event of annulus rupture, the subannular nucleus pulposus migrates along the path of least resistance forcing the fissure to open further, allowing migration of the nucleus pulposus through the wall of the disc, with resultant nerve compression and leakage of chemicals of inflammation into the space around the adjacent nerve roots supplying the extremities, bladder, bowel and genitalia. The usual effect of nerve compression and inflammation is intolerable back or neck pain, radiating into the extremities, with accompanying numbness, weakness, and in late stages, paralysis and muscle atrophy, and/or bladder and bowel incontinence. Additionally, injury, disease or other degenerative disorders may cause one or more of the intervertebral discs to shrink, collapse, deteriorate or become displaced, herniated, or otherwise damaged and compromised.
Surgical repairs or replacements of displaced or herniated discs are attempted approximately 390,000 times in the USA each year. Until the present invention, there was no known way to repair or reconstruct the annulus. Instead, surgical procedures to date are designed to relieve symptoms by removing unwanted disc fragments and relieving nerve compression. While results are currently acceptable, they are not optimal. Various authors report 3.1–21% recurrent disc herniation, representing a failure of the primary procedure and requiring re-operation for the same condition. An estimated 10% recurrence rate results in 39,000 re-operations in the United States each year.
An additional method of relieving the symptoms is thermal annuloplasty, involving the heating of sub-annular zones in the non-herniated painful disc, seeking pain relief, but making no claim of reconstruction of the ruptured, discontinuous annulus wall.
Some have also suggested that the repair of a damaged intervertebral disc might include the augmentation of the nucleus pulposus, and various efforts at nucleus pulposus replacement have been reported. The present invention is directed at the repair of the annulus, whether or not a nuclear augmentation is also warranted.
In addition, there has been experimentation in animals to assess various surgical incisions with and without the direct surgical repair of the annulus. These studies were performed on otherwise healthy animals and involved no removal or augmentation of nucleus pulposus. The authors of these experiments conclude that direct repair of the annulus does not influence the healing of the disc.
The present inventors have found, advantageously and contrary to accepted practice, that the annulus tissue may be sutured and that annular healing may be facilitated by reapproximation of annular tissue. Methods and devices for carrying out annular repair and/or reconstruction are a subject of the present invention.